“The steep decline in sales driven by the rapid rise in mortgage rates seems to be behind us, as the initial shock of higher mortgage rates has worn off,” said Mark Fleming, the Chief Economist for First American Financial Corporation.
Most Recent Articles
Lower Mortgage Rates Help Unlock Inventory as Buyer Demand Strengthens
Redfin data shows new listings ticking up in late January as easing housing costs and reduced rate lock-in encourage homeowners to sell and buyers to reengage, even as homes take longer to go...
NAR Survey Signals Stronger Buyer and Seller Traffic Expectations
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the latest Realtors Confidence Index report showed an increase in days on market, a shift in the number of offers received by sellers,...
Sen. Kelly Calls on Administration to Address Housing Affordability
In his letter to President Trump and HUD Secretary Scott Turner, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly discussed how rising rents, home prices, insurance costs, and other factors are putting economic pressure on...
Beyond the City Limits, Part 2
In Part 2 of our MortgagePoint magazine Cover Story on living in rural America, we take a look at how Farmer Mac keeps credit available and affordable for those who chose to live away from urban...
President Trump Picks Kevin Warsh as New Fed Chair
Kevin Warsh served on The Fed's Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011, and he will face Senate confirmation after Jerome Powell's term as Chair ends in May. The post President Trump Picks Kevin...
Will Home Insurance Markets Stabilize in 2026?
A pair of new reports suggest that while premium growth could moderate, higher construction costs, litigation, and climate-related risks continue to keep home insurance expensive for many...
How Income Growth Is Reshaping U.S. House-Buying Power
Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American, details the state of housing affordability, house-buying power, income growth and more in his latest article—giving aspiring homebuyers an idea of...
FHFA Report Shows Rise in Forbearance, Refinances as Mortgage Rates Fall
The Prevention, Refinance, and Federal Property Manager's Report for October 2025 has been released by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), revealing the details of foreclosure prevention...
AEI: Housing Supply Is Critical to Prevent Another Home Price Surge
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PhoenixTeam Names Laura MacIntyre as Partner
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Remodeling Growth, Trends Expected to Slow Moderately in 2026
The latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) indicates that annual expenditures on enhancements and upkeep for...
Coalition Warns About Mortgage Credit & Score Rule Changes
In correspondence with Bill Pulte, who oversees the Federal Housing Finance Agency, some 35 advocacy groups detailed issues to tackle as the Trump administration strives to enhance nationwide home...
Fed Votes to Hold Interest Rates Steady
The central bank's decision ended a string of three consecutive quarter-percentage-point reductions. The FOMC also upped its assessment of economic growth and eased its concerns about the labor...
Case-Shiller Index Shows Tepid Home Price Growth in November
Strong price growth in cities such as Chicago and New York contrasted with ongoing declines in several Sun Belt markets, highlighting continued regional divergence in the November Case-Shiller...
Homebuyers File Class-Action Lawsuit Against Rocket Companies
A new consumer class-action lawsuit filed against Rocket Companies accuses the Michigan-based lending conglomerate of forcing agents to steer clients to use Rocket Mortgage. Rocket denies the...
FHFA Data Reveals Mixed Regional Home Price Trends Across the U.S.
While national home prices continued to edge higher in November, FHFA data shows wide variation across census divisions, highlighting pockets of price softness alongside stronger Midwest and...
U.S. Renters’ Worst Case Housing Needs Decline for First Time Since 2017
According to data from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies and recent HUD reports, the number of renter households with worst-case needs decreased in 2023 due to rising renter incomes and...
Which Metros Are Luxury Homebuyers Eyeing the Most?
At the end of 2025, New York City was dethroned as the capital of million-dollar listings by a historically popular and tropical metro emerging as the leading U.S. metro with the highest number of...
Co-Buying Trends Shift as Homebuying Remains Out of Reach for Many
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Home Prices Slip in 106 Major Markets While National Values Inch Higher
Home prices are up year-over-year as of December 2025, marking a deceleration from the growth rate a year earlier. However, that's not the case in 106 of the nation's top 300 markets where prices...